Emerald Isle commissioner candidate: Nita Hedreen

Thursday

Oct 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Three incumbents and a newcomer are vying for three commission seats in Emerald Isle. Candidates were asked by The Daily News to respond to the following questions in advance of the Nov. 5 municipal elections. Candidate profiles were edited for length in The Daily News’ print edition. This is the full, unedited written response by one of four candidates. Candidate John Cowan did not respond to requests for information.

Daily News staff

Three incumbents and a newcomer are vying for three commission seats in Emerald Isle. Candidates were asked by The Daily News to respond to the following questions in advance of the Nov. 5 municipal elections. Candidate profiles were edited for length in The Daily News’ print edition. This is the full, unedited written response by one of four candidates. Candidate John Cowan did not respond to requests for information.

Incumbent? Yes

Name: Nita Hedreen

Office you are seeking: Commissioner, Emerald Isle

Address: 8709 Plantation Drive, Emerald Isle, NC 28594

Date of birth: 10/28/52

City of birth: Mount Olive, NC

County of birth: Wayne

How voters can contact you: www.emeraldisle-nc.org

Occupation: Health Care Administrator

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Prior publicly elected, appointed or held positions: Emerald Isle Land Use Committee, Emerald Isle Community Improvements Committee

Leadership experience: Prior to moving to Emerald Isle, I held multiple nursing leadership positions at Vidant Medical Center. For the past five years, I have served as the director for Health Care Business at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune.

How long have you lived in the municipality for which you seek office? Thirteen years

Why are you running for office? As Commissioner, I have worked with many residents with differing perspectives and opinions. It is rewarding to work with our citizens and to be a part of the process of working a solution for the good of the entire community.

What makes you a good candidate for the position? Proven leadership experience as a commissioner for the past 10 years. As a resident and business owner in Emerald Isle since 1999, I understand the unique challenges faced by our business community in a seasonal, service industry. I am committed to low tax rates which I have demonstrated consistently for 10 years. It is not just about low taxes. Achieving the balance between spending and taxing in a difficult economy is not easy. My philosophy is “pay as you go;” however, some situations dictate the wiser course is to borrow. Every situation is unique and has to be judged on its own merits. The people of Emerald Isle can count on me to advocate for them.

What do you see as the town’s biggest budget challenge? In light of the economy, we began to reduce our budgets to include essential spending. Any other item had to meet extraordinary requirements in order to get support for funding. This was the scenario with the Community Improvements Package we recently passed. Over 70 percent of our citizens who responded overwhelmingly supported the 1-cent tax to pay for the bike path, improvements to the community center and to finally address storm water issues. The storm water initiative was both costly and long overdue. It was gratifying to see citizens from all over Emerald Isle support this project. Future challenges will continue to be keeping our roads and beach accesses in good repair as well as replacing capital equipment at the end of the life cycle.

What type of growth and development is best suited for Emerald Isle? The short answer is exactly what we have now! We have both density and high restrictions which help us remain a family beach with a small town atmosphere. Areas for business development have already been identified. The Emerald Isle Land Use Plan, completed in 2004, remains a living document we use for key decisions for growth and development. Citizen input was essential then and is now. All actions taken on behalf of Emerald Isle have been consistent with the Land Use Plan. Maintaining our reputation as a family beach is a top priority.

What “quality of life” projects would you suggest for the town? Projects that focus on being active: pedestrian, biking, and boating. We have received some funding to put a pier at the Emerald Isle Public Boating Access. Additional parks would be welcomed there as well. There are many projects we would like to do! As Commissioner, I have worked hard to keep taxes low. Consistently, Emerald Isle has the 2nd or 3rd lowest tax rates of the 21 beach communities.